Lucky charm Eriksson

Michael Owen is mobbed after England's opener

BBC Sport Online's chief football writer Phil McNulty looks back at England's crucial win in Albania and the unblemished opening to the Sven Goran Eriksson era.

Sven Goran Eriksson may be making the art of coaching England look easy - but the understated Swede knows tougher tests than Albania lie ahead.

He is also too sensible to ask what all the fuss surrounding the so-called poisoned chalice was about after a spotless start of three wins from three games - two of them crucial World Cup qualifiers.

The FA, however, could not have asked for more from Eriksson than to deliver confidence, cohesion, a feelgood factor and - most important of all - the revival of England's World Cup campaign.

Past history states that those with England's best interests at heart will now become consumed by euphoria, over-intoxicated by the belief that a Swedish messiah has arrived and saved the national football team in a matter of months.

Cole battles for a header

Eriksson is too cool and too experienced to fall for the hype.

He will see it as the first steps on a long road to rehabiliation for England after the confusion of the Kevin Keegan years.

And he is right.

But it would be doing Eriksson a grave disservice to simply dismiss his early efforts as beginnner's luck - even though England will welcome confirmation of the old adage about the benefits of a lucky general leading the troops into battle.

The persistence with Andy Cole - in the face of a mixture of suspicion and in some cases outright mockery - was rewarded with a goal to calm the nerves of player and coach in the 3-1 win in Tirana.

He also had no hesitation in withdrawing Charlton's Chris Powell from the England firing line after he showed signs of being out of his depth against Finland.

Eriksson has shown a willingness not only to stick to his beliefs by including Andy Cole, but go with his gut instincts by picking Arsenal youngster Ashley Cole.

The victory in Albania will have confirmed many early impressions in Eriksson's mind.

He can count on Michael Owen as an international goalscorer, and he can rubber-stamp Paul Scholes and David Beckham as mainstays of his England blueprint.

Eriksson will have left Tirana pondering on the inconsistencies of Rio Ferdinand, who marred an otherwise competent performance with a moment of carelessness that gave Albania a goal.

Ferdinand's many supporters will claim this comes as the price on the ticket for his class - but better opponents than the limited Albanians will play on his tendency to commit the occasional expensive error.

Albania's Bella beats Beckham

Steve McManaman remains an enigma, and his place will surely come under threat from a fit Nick Barmby.

And it was a victory achieved without Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, who will undoubtedly form an engine room axis with Scholes if he can finally cast off the shadow of persistent injury.

England can now move into the crucial phase of their World Cup campaign with confidence boosted and Eriksson's long-term plan taking shape.

Eriksson was supposed to watch the last two England games from the comfort of his home in Rome as Lazio coach and FA saviour-elect.

It was the FA and England's lucky day when he parted company with Lazio prematurely.

Eriksson can now take stock - and maybe even a day off - but his efforts so far means England's football public can consider his appointment a job well done.

So far so good for Sven Goran Eriksson.